EABC History

The EABC was initiated in 1994. EABC leadership initially was provided by IDSc faculty member, Bob Van Cleave, who recruited members and prepared the meeting agenda. The Board was composed of several people from MISRC companies with a number of IDSc faculty who attended regularly. Meetings were four times per year. The typical agenda included updates by IDSc Chair Carl Adams and other faculty on IDSc and CSOM events, policies, and new programs.

The EABC industry members had a significant impact on the design of the IS Undergraduate Major, established in 1997 following a two-year planning effort. EABC support was key to gaining acceptance of the new IS Major within the CSOM administration. Some of the significant new features urged and supported by the industry members included: a cohort model, a separate lab (subsequently funded with a grant from EABC member Cargill), corporate course sponsorships of the four core courses (initially funded and supported by EABC members Medtronic, Honeywell, Minnesota Life and 3M), and a formal internship course.

The Undergraduate Major has grown both in prestige, with an annual national ranking consistently ranked in the top 3 national, with approximately 20% of the Carlson School's junior and senior student body enrolled in the IDSc Department, which is the highest percentage of MIS undergraduate students in the country.